Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-08-22
THE CRUEL CARS.

Crushed ana Mhngiea ana Dies Ah
stantIy---The Coroner's Inquest ana
Verdict.
E.. Davis, freight train brakeman
on the c., B. s Q. road. and who left
here on freight at O'Clock Saturday |
evening, was crushed to death in the
Yards at Moline an hour later. He had
been coupling cars. and in attempting to
pass out between the cars probably |
missed his footing and fell upon the rail |
The first iutimation the other train men |
had of the disaster was a grosn. and 60
ing to where Davis was, found him with |
wheel on his body, the hips aud abdo- |
men being crushed, and the man dead.
Coroner HAYES was notified and went up |
and held an inquest, summoning as a
jury P. s. McGlynn, j. W. Mcpherson,
John Brennan, E. ]. Baldwin. Chas.
Diamond and E. l. Eastman. The par
ticuIars of the tragedy may best be OBJ
tanned from the proceedings of the in>
quest.
Thomas Lane, the fireman on the loco
motive, was the first witness introduced
His residence was at Beardstown. He
knew the man who was killed five years;
his name was E. S. Davis; the last time
he saw him alive was in Rock Island, at
a little past O'Clock Saturday evening.
lust before the No. IA freight train
pulled out; the next time he saw him was
in the c., B. & @ yard, in Moline. He
was living across the track, dead. In
relating what he knew of the accident
the fireman said: We were switching on
a side track-were at the time backing
up; | saw lantern by the side of the
train, and all at once it disappeared, and
| heard some one call out; as soon as we
learned he had been run over, we reversed
the engine, and pulled ahead; l went
back to where the body of Davis was IT,
ing. his face resting on the ground, be-
tween the two tracks, thought he was
not YET dead; the accident occurred
about Gas; Davis was a single man, who
had been living at Beardstown; think he
was about 20 years of age
c. c. CatlIn, engineer, residing at
BeardstOwn, next testified: He had
known Davis about three years; had
talked with him before they left the Rock
Island yard. we got the signal to back
up, and did so: could not see the brake
man, but heard man call out, and ran
back; found gentleman holding his
head; Mr.. Davis was to all appearance
dead. the train was going about as fast
as a man could walk when they were do
ing the coupling.
W. F. Lupton, brakeman. was then
sworn. He had opened the switch and
the train backed onto the side track.
Davis was on the other side of the train
and he could not see him, but all of a
sudden he heard him scream. He gave
the signal for the tram TO go ahead, but
the coupling was not made; number of
them pushed the car off his body and
pulled him out. The last time he saw
the deceased was when they passed onto
the switch; Davis had said to cut off two
ears. He thought he must have reached
down for pin in making the coupling,
and IN some way been thrown beneath
the wheels.
G. s Canaan, conductor, was sworn
He said he had five cars to pick up hert
and told Brakeman Davis 10 bring in tbs
four bead cars. Just as the cars STRUCK
in coupling heard the head brakeman
call, Come here quick" He found
Davis lying under the hind wheel of the
forward truck of the second car. They
had sigualed the engineer to go ahead be
fore he got there. They did not dare L
make coupling for fear it would cut hin
in two The mans screams had attracted
attention and crowd had collected b,
this time. We showed the car off him
and found a coupling pin lying beneatl
his body His belief was that Davis ha(
stopped to pick up the pin to make tn
coupling, and had fallen under the car
Davis had been railroading since 1879
that he know of. They called a physician
but the man was dead when he got there
Among the victims personal effects wa
silver watch with the crystal broken
1t had stopped at 10 minutes before s
which indicated the time when the trail
struck him.
DR. J. B, Davidson. of Moline. who
had been called to make an examination
of the body, described the condition o
the body when found by him. 1t wa
badly crushed, cut about the abdomen
and right hip bone was cut half wa!
cross the body so the bowels hung out
He Was dead when he found him.
John Evans, in East Moline, walkin.
along the sidewalk, heard the man cal
for help When we got to him he gaspe'
aud said. Move the car ahead" w
pulled him from beneath the wheel Tn
man was conscious when he first arrived
but soon expired.
The jury returned verdict that E, S
Davis came to his death by being acct
IDENTIFY crushed under the wheels of a cal
between the forward and rear trucks. Oh
of which was pushed onto him by trsi
No. IA, on the c., B. & r. railroad, i
Moline on the goth day of August, 1881
that no blame is attached to the railroa
or trainmen-"
The Rifles Return.
The RodmaB Rifles, Company a, I.
G returned from regiment and camp